Many contenders to be TCAL's No. 2

That's the reality. St. Mary's hasn't lost a Tri-City Athletic League game since 2006, and it's unlikely the Rams will lose one this year.

However, after St. Mary's, which enters Friday's TCAL season 3-2, things get interesting. Both Stagg and Tokay enter league play 5-0, and McNair is 4-1. Edison is 2-3 following last week's 50-18 loss to Chavez, and West - which has been devastated by the opening of Tracy's third public high school, Kimball, three years ago - is 0-5.

The Rams, who host Tokay at 7:15 p.m. Friday, had an up-and-down nonleague season that ended on a high note with a 51-18 victory over rival Lincoln two weeks ago. After a 28-21 loss to Modesto-Central Catholic in which they turned the ball over four times, things started to turn. The Rams played well in a 21-13 loss at Concord-De La Salle but struggled to move the ball, then turned the proverbial corner against the Trojans, turning a 12-7 early second-half deficit into a lopsided win.

Junior quarterback Kaleb Parrish (836 yards, 10 TDs, three interceptions) has been solid since the beginning of the season, but the running game lagged. Against Lincoln, sophomore Javonte Norman broke out with nine carries for 144 yards and a touchdown, including an 80-yard burst, all in the second half.

One thing that's been a strength all season has been the Rams' defense.

"I think the defense is starting to develop the kind of confidence where it doesn't matter where the ball is, they feel like they can keep a team out of the end zone," St. Mary's coach Tony Franks said. "They're really surprised when teams score on them. They're playing very well."

The Delta Kings - who open TCAL play on Friday at Edison (2-3) - have raised eyebrows. They're undefeated with four wins by 31 points or more and, unlike Stagg teams that have reached the playoffs the past three seasons, this unit has a marquee win: They beat perennial playoff contender Manteca on the road, 51-47.

Quarterback Wayne Brooks leads the area in passing with 1,403 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. His favorite target, Lester Williams, has an area-best 24 catches for 682 yards and six touchdowns.

"I think we are where we should be at this time," coach Don Norton said. "I knew we were going to be fast. There was a question mark on our linemen, whether or not they could step up and do the job, and they have."

The Tigers have not beaten a team with a winning record - the closest is Weston Ranch (2-3) - and two of their opponents remain winless - Galt (0-5) and Lodi (0-5). Other wins came against Bear Creek (1-4) and Placerville-El Dorado (2-4).

That does not mean Tokay isn't legitimate. It just means they haven't been tested.

Bryson Schreiner leads the Tigers' offense with 525 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

The Eagles, who start the TCAL season at 7:15 p.m. Friday at West, have two wins over winning programs, Sacramento-Sheldon (3-2) and Los Banos-Pacheco (4-2). McNair's been successful with a balanced offense, averaging a little more than 200 yards per game passing (225) and rushing (206).

Junior quarterback Cedrick Phillips has thrown for 1,097 yards with 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions, and has run for 257 yards with two more scores.

Following last week's loss to Merced-Golden Valley, he has gone three games without an interception and had thrown at least one TD in every game, including five in a 47-26 win over Pacheco. He has either thrown for or run for a score in every game.

Senior Jonathan Stark has run for 702 yards with eight touchdowns, including a 240-yard, three-TD performance in a 34-14 season opening win over Sheldon.

The Vikings have taken two steps back since winning consecutive games to start the season 2-1. Following a 50-18 loss to Chavez two weeks ago, Edison ended the nonleague season with a 39-16 loss to Atwater last week after a strong first half.

Numbers have hurt the Vikings, who suited up only 25 players prior to the Atwater game, then lost six because of injuries during the game.

Third-year West coach Matt Loggins knew this was going to be a tough season. The Wolf Pack, which was hit much harder than Tracy when Kimball opened three years ago, has shown a lot of heart, refusing to let teams turn games into blowouts.

But the bottom line is West is low on weapons, and the weapons the team does have can't get going behind a young offensive line.